Do you love camping but struggle to find a comfortable sleeping position with a traditional sleeping pad on the ground?
Are you looking to lighten your backpacking load without sacrificing your sleeping system?
Hammock camping, once a fringe activity for ultralight backpackers, has gone mainstream. The gear has gotten more comfortable, more affordable, and easier to set up, and many campers have traded in their tents to sleep in the trees.
I’m not a total hammock camping convert yet, but I’ve been using the Kammok Mantis, an all-in-one hammock, rainfly, and bug net, for several years now, and I’m impressed with the fast set-up, durability, and comfort when I’m solo-camping.
It took me a bit to get the hang of it, but now I love hanging from the trees when I go camping.
Why Hammock Camping is Awesome (at Least in the Northeast)
We hang our hats and our hammocks in Vermont most of the time. If you’ve ever camped in Vermont, you may already know that finding a flat, level camping spot is not always easy. If the roots and rocks aren’t poking you, you’re sliding downhill through the night.
Yes, rocks and roots are plentiful, but the good news is – so are trees!
While camping on flat ground is a rarely attainable dream in Vermont, finding two perfect hammock trees is a cinch! Hammock camping in Vermont is 100% better than tent camping, but we still tent camp when we bring our dogs.
During our most recent road trip, we brought a tent and our camping hammock.
We found that hammock camping worked out better than sleeping in a tent (which was more comfortable) in the Midwest, the Black Hills, the Tetons, and the Pacific Northwest.
We preferred tent camping in the Badlands, Utah, and Arizona – basically wherever trees were scarce.
Hammock Camping Tips
I love camping in my hammock, and I no longer consider myself a hammock newbie!
I’ve learned so much since I started camping with my hammock. Hopefully, you can learn from some of my hammock camping mistakes so that you experience restful nights from day one. Here are a few hammock camping tips to get you started.
- Don’t hang your hammock too tightly. If you hang it too tight, the weight of your body will pull the sides up around you, making you feel like you’re sleeping in a cocoon or a taco. You want a decent amount of slack in your hammock.
- Look for trees that are between 13 and 18 feet apart. It’s okay, you don’t have to bring a tape measure! The trees should be sturdy, healthy, and straight.
- Don’t hang your hammock higher than a height you would feel comfortable falling from. You’re not going to fall! But you also don’t want to have to take a flying leap to get into your hammock. Especially after a few amazing campfire drinks.
- Lay on the diagonal. This will help the hammock contour to your back without added pressure points. It also allows you to lie flatter, cutting across the curve of the hammock.
- Use a pad or an underquilt for extra warmth. I use the Kammok Insulated Pongo Pad with my hammock. The wide shoulder box pushes fabric out for a bit more space. The downside is that you slide around a bit more than you would without it. When it’s warm out, I forgo the pad for an underquilt like the Firebelly 30-degree down trail quilt.
I find that using a quilt is way more comfortable than using a traditional sleeping bag in a hammock, but I’ve only used the hammock to camp in the summer. Three-season camping may be a different story.
But Is it Comfortable?
If you’ve never hammock camped before, I recommend giving it a try at home before committing to a longer camping trip.
I’ve found the Kammok Mantis to be extremely comfortable when it was set up properly, but there was a learning curve before I found optimum comfort.
It’s important that your camping hammock doesn’t hang too tightly between the trees and that one side isn’t much higher than the other. Trees that are 13 to 18 feet apart are ideal, and laying on the diagonal will give you more surface area and more support.
For added comfort and warmth while hammock camping, you can throw in the Pongo inflatable sleeping pad which is three inches thick with a tapered design that pushes the walls of the hammock away from your body.
The Pongo clips onto the sides of the hammock so that it doesn’t slide around while you’re sleeping.
While the Pongo worked fine, I preferred using an underquilt for warmth so that I could move around a bit and take advantage of the body-hugging features of the hammock. I would recommend experimenting with both pads and quilts to find a system that works best for you.
There is a learning curve to setting up your camping hammock for optimum performance and comfort, so practice during the daytime before giving up on it!
After four years of hammock camping, I’ve found the hammock camping to be comfortable and a great lightweight alternative to carrying a tent.
Am I a total convert to hammock camping? No, but that’s mainly because I most often camp with my husband and a 70-pound black lab.
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Tara Schatz is a freelance writer and travel blogger with a passion for outdoor adventures. She is the co-author of AMC’s Best Day Hikes in Vermont and currently blogs at Back Road Ramblers and Vermont Explored, where she shares travel tips, adventure destinations, and vacation ideas for the wanderer in everyone.